Finally, nearly 4 months after I sent the forms off I've heard from the CSA..........

[FAQ]

they rang this afternoon while the DS's were in the process of trying to kill each other (loudly) and asked "is it ok to talk now" - I said yes and let the DS's get on with it

H has moved since I sent the forms in, so I was able to give them his new address, and his phone number (which I distinctly remember puttingon the forms - I put both his work and his personal mobiles ), and his employer (which I also put on the form........

Anyhow, I didn't think to ask how long things would take to actually get going (as I think I can safely assume that as neither H or I had heard anything from them for 4 months nothing has happened yet).......so how many more years months do you reckon it will be before they actually take anything from H?

It depends on how cooperative your exH is going to be FAQ

If he's not cooperative it depends on how traceable his income is... my ex is a copper so he couldn't wriggle away and it took about 4 - 5 months

I'm back in the same boat as you now though as exP has stopped payments - earning less than £5 a week apparently - which is a larf!

I've been advised that a non payer will have their tax records evaluated for which the CSA need 3 months

Mine was all sorted in less than 6 months, inc a pat test. They should backdate the money to the date you applied iirc..

I dont know your history but no chance of you two sorting out private agreement based on the percentages the CSA use? (15% of his income for 1st child..dont know about 2nd/ 3rd child etc)

When I went through this I was told my ex didn't have to pay because "he didn't admit to living at that adress"
Needless to say, I don't rate the CSA!
I'm about to go through the Australian CSA so I hope they are better.

Good look to you though

H is more than happy to co-operate - I rang him straight after they'd rung me to let him know they were finally starting to get their arse in gear.

I was quite happy with the arrangement we had - he's been paying for 1/2 the mortgage - and although we've just managed to get the payments reduced by switching to interest only - he's still going to be "topping up" - the money that I'm putting in (mortgage is actually in his name - but I'm staying here - and I will - eventually take over this house). As far as I was concerned while the money wasn't coming directly to me - he was "maintaining" his children by helping keep a roof (their home) over their heads. As he's paying for rent on where he's living now as well as the payments here.

However, IS/CSA being what they are they cut my benefits and I had no option to go through the CSA

No! thats a load of pants. Get him to send a letter confirming your arrangement and that should be enough - I applied for IS a few weeks ago and they accepted a letter from dds dad. (half comes to me, half direct to dds reg saver which i cant access)

FAQ - are you on means tested benefits like Income Support?

Your h's payments will not come straight to you if you are...

When you come off benefits a lump sum will have ammassed for your dc's maintenance, but this has a ceiling (can't remember what this is)

are you sure your current payment situation isn't better than having full benefit entitlement but no help with mortgage?

Lmccream - the rules have recently changed I think - so that you can have a private arrangement and be on CSA - but I think it changed after I started getting IS.

It's stupid really (I think) that he's paying money already (ok it's not coming "to" me as the mortgage has always come out of his account) - if he didn't pay that money then I would have to move because I couldn't afford to pay the mortgage so the house would be sold.

As far as I'm concerned he's doing his bit - even if I never see a penny of it.

wabbit - the rules have/are changing on that - I think it's from October all money will come to me - and then I have to inform IS and they will reduce my benefits accordingly.

The current situation (full IS and him helping towards the mortgage) works fine for me - I have no desire to change it - but IS/CSA rules are rules grrrr

I did put on the form (in the big gap for any other information) about him paying 1/2 the mortgage for this place.......so hopefully we can persuade them to leave things as they are???

I've just got myself organised with my weekly IS payments, bugdetting around it, if I start getting money at different times I'm going to have to sit down and work it all out again LOL

I see... hope it doesn't take too long for you and sorry the new rules don't work in your favour

FAQ maybe you should appeal about having your IS reduced, playing devils advocate here but if your ex stopped paying the mortgage and you had to leave the house the council would either re-house you or would pay you housing benefit/LHA to pruivately rent, that is something that you could put forward to fight your case

oh they put my IS back up as soon as they received the forms for the CSA......

Still think it's really stupid that he's been paying since the day he moved out of here to ensure that the boys don't have to move house - he's even happy for me to take the house over when I'm back at work and the mortgage company will consider putting me on the mortgage to ensure that the DS's keep their "family" home. Yet they want to get more money out him, and as they've taken 4 months just to start the bloody process he's going to get hit with a big back payment too grrr

What about all those men who don't support their DC in any shape or form and get away with it.